Daily Bible Reading
To prevent the frustration of falling behind, which most of us tend to do when following a Bible reading plan, each month of this plan gives you only twenty-five readings. Today we start a few “free days” . We encourage you to catch up on any readings you may have missed this month.
If you have finished the month’s readings, you can use these final days of the month to study the passages that challenged or intrigued you.
The Bible reading plan we are following can be found here: https://www.navigators.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/navigators-bible-reading-plan.pdf
Daily Devotion
Correction and Direction
Psalm 23: A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD
forever.
This Psalm is one that I have read many times. The Psalms of David are one of my main portions of scripture to go to, when I need encouragement or if I’m just looking for some great praise text to meditate/think on during prayer times. I think Psalm 23 speaks to us so profoundly because of how relatable it is to our own lives. This is just how the writing of David is. He wrote what he was experiencing, and that experience resonates with us because we can see and feel those same emotions in our own personal experiences.
David begins this Psalm by declaring that he needs nothing, because the Lord is his shepherd. This subject was something David had many hours worth of personal knowledge and experience in, because he himself had served as a shepherd and protector over his family’s flocks of livestock during his younger days. David could speak from both perspectives, shepherd and sheep. He had spent time as a watchmen over animals and he knew that he was numbered in his Heavenly Father’s flock under the guidance and protection of the greatest Shepherd of all. It was with this knowledge that he began writing Psalm 23. It was David’s trust in God that allowed him to know he was taken care of no matter what. In verse 4, David says something very interesting.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
David indicates that the two tools of the shepherd (the rod and staff) are the source of his comfort and protection. The rod we can compare to correction, used by the shepherd to change behavior of the sheep if its actions were causing it to endanger itself. The staff can be compared to direction, used by the shepherd to lean upon as he would walk and direct the flock where to go. David found encouragement and safety in the correction and direction that comes from God. This is something we should try to better understand. Correction isn’t necessarily always a fun experience. But if the correction is coming from God, we should follow David’s example, and walk in it. Because in the correction, we will find direction. God will move on us to make changes, and as we submit to Him, His voice will speak to our spirit and direct us where to go and what to do. The correction and direction that comes from God is what will allow us to stay in His will as we walk through life.
~ Jesse Sanders